Wirebound box cover



March 15, 1966 P. s. LANGEY WIREBOUND BOX COVER Filed Jan. 13, 1964United States Patent 3,240,374 WIREBOUND BOX COVER Philip S. Langey,Denville, N.J., assignor to Stapling Machines 00., Rockaway, N.J., acorporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 13, 1964, Ser. No. 337,342 3 Claims.(Cl. 217-56) This invention relates to covers for wirebound boxes;

more particularly, this invention relates to covers which can be lockedin place on a wirebound box Without the use of staples, wires, or othersuch fastening means. Still more particularly, this invention relates tocovers for wirebound boxes in which a portion of the cover itself isused to lock the cover in place on the box.

In many applications it is desirable to use a non-wirebound cover for awirebound box. For example, in many applications there are a number ofadvantages in using fiberboard covers. However,'many of the advantagesof such covers are lost if means such as staples, wires or othersupplemental fastening means are required to attach the cover to thebox. Therefore, some fiberboard wirebound box covers have been adaptedto be secured in place by means of fiberboard flaps which engage with aportion of the box to fasten the cover in place.

These previous flap fasteners have a number of disadvantages. Typically,they are formed by making cuts in the fiberboard cover and bending theflaps so as to cause them to engage with a reinforcing cleat of the box.

Because of the shape of the flaps and of the cuts used to make them, theflaps tear easily under the stress of forces tending to remove thecover. Thus, such prior covers have proved to be relatively easilyknocked off when the box is being transported.

Furthermore, many prior covers are constructed so that when the cover isremoved it is either disassembled or torn and destroyed by such removal.In either case the 'result is that it is not practical to re-use thecover after it cover easily reusable.

Wirebound boxes are formed of box sections made of strips of facematerial, usually wood, which are secured together by wires. These boxsections have reinforcing cleats secured to them. In one type ofwirebound box, these cleats are located around the periphery of each endof the box. Thus, there is, along the top edge at each end of the box, acleat which projects outwardly from the box end and provides aconvenient hand-hold member by which the box easily can be grasped to belifted.

Previous fiberboard covers used on such wirebound boxes have ends whichdepend downwardly over each end of the box so as to extend below the topcleat, thus undesirably interfering with the use of the top cleat as ahand-hold in lifting the box. In fact, since the top cleat is covered,the lower edge of such prior covers is often grasped in lifting the box,thus causing the cover to be ripped off. Although holes sometimes arecut in the fiberboard of such prior covers to give a certain degree ofaccess to the top cleat, the provision of such holes is not a fullysatisfactory solution to the problem. It often is not practical to makethe holes large enough to accommodate the hands of most workmen withoutgreatly weakening the cover structure. Hence, such hand-holes often arenot used by workers handling the boxes, with "ice the result that thecovers are ripped off just as if the handholes were not present.

Accordingly, it is another object of this invention to provide awirebound box cover which gives ready access to external hand-holdmembers on the boxes, while still looking securely in place and havingthe other desirable features mentioned above.

A further object of the present invention is to provide such a coverwhich is simple in construction, simple to use, and is inexpensive tomanufacture.

The drawings and descriptions that follow describe the invention andindicate some of the ways in which it can be used. In addition, some ofthe advantages provided by the invention will be pointed out.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective, partially cut-away view of a coverconstructed in accordance with the present invention, with the coverbeing shown in place upon a wirebound box;

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 22 of FIGURE 1, inthe direction indicated by the arrows; and

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the cover shown in FIG- URE 1, in itsunfolded condition.

Referring now to FIGURE 1, a cover 10 constructed in accordance with thepresent invention is shown in place on a wirebound box 12. Wirebound box12 includes a number of box sections 14 made of face material such aswood and secured together by means of wires 16 and staples 18. Fourreinforcing cleats are secured to each end of box sections 14 by meansof staples 18. These cleats include two side cleats 20 and 22, a bottomcleat 24, and a top cleat 26.

The top side of the box 12 is open. It has ends 28 which are made offace material such as wood or fiberboard. Box ends 28 are preferablysecured to the inside surface of one or more of the reinforcing cleats.Thus, the cleats extend outwardly from the box ends 28, and the topcleat 26 provides a convenient hand-hold for use in lifting the box.

Referring now to FIGURE 3 as well as FIGURE 1, the cover 10 is formedfrom a sheet of material capable of being bent into the shape desired.Preferably, this material is fiberboard. FIGURE 3 shows the covermaterial before it is folded together -to form a completed cover. Thematerial is scored and then folded along the dashed lines. The longportions 30 are folded to form two sides of the cover, and two otherportions 32 are folded down to form its ends. Flaps 34 on portions 30are folded inwardly. The outermost section of each portion 32 is thenfolded upwardly so as to grip flaps 34. Small tabs 36 on the end ofportions 32 are inserted upwardly through mating holes 38 to lock theends of the cover in place. Ventilating holes 40 are provided. Thecompleted cover has the shape of a shallow tray which is positionedbottom-up on the open side of the box 12.

Each of the cover ends 32 is cut out in region 42 so as to form thestructure for a hand-hold slot and a pair of locking tabs 44. Tabs 44are formed by cutting the cover material along lines 46 (see FIGURE 3)and scoring the material along dashed lines 48 on the side of thematerial opposite to the side upon which the other scoring is done.

As is shown in FIGURE 1, when the cover is folded the cut-out portions42 form hand-hold slots 50 at each end of the cover 10. The distance Lbetween the innermost edge of slot 42 and the fold line 52 is given avalue such that the top of each hand-hold slot 50 in the cover 10 issubstantially flush with the underside of the top reinforcing cleat 26,thus providing easy access for the hand in grasping the box on theunderside of the top cleat.

Lines 46, which define the upper edges of tabs 44, are located so thatthey also are flush with the underside of top cleat 26 when the cover isfolded.

As is shown in FIGURE 1, and, in greater detail, in FIGURE'Z, tabs 44-are positioned in handhold slot 50 so that when the hand is insertedinto slot 50 tabs 44 automatically will be bent inwardly so that theirupper edges 46 will be pushed underneath the top cleat 26 so as tofrictionally engage the underside of cleat 26 and lock the cover inplace.

Tabs 44 hold the cover 10 on the box 12 securely and reliably. The lines48 along which the tabs 44 are folded are aligned in the direction inwhich the cover is moved to remove it from atop the box. In this manner,the tabs 44 are bent along lines substantially co-directional with amajority of the forces tending to tear the cover off of the box. Thesebending lines 48 also are substantially perpendicular to the lowersurface of top cleat 26. With this arrangement, the tabs are stronglyresistant to tearing under the stress of forces tending to remove thecover from the box. It is. believed that the majority of such forces actupon the tabs 44 in a direction parallel to the plane of the cover end32. This spreads the tearing effect of such forces over the whole extentof each tab, thus providing strong resistance to tearing. This is incontrast to previous lock flap arrangements in which, it is believed,such forces were applied to the flaps in a direction perpendicular tothe plane of the cover end, thus localizing the tearing effect of suchforces and allowing the flaps to be torn off relatively easily.

Continued handling of wirebound boxes using prior covers has thetendency to weaken the cover lock or rip the cover off. In contrast,since the insertion of a hand in a hand-hold slot 50 of the cover 10 ofthe present invention tends to push the flaps 44 into locking position,continued handling of the box 12 using the cover 10 tends to maintainthe cover securely on the box. Thus, the present invention providesadvantageous use of an activity that tends to destroy and remove priorcovers.

Another advantageous feature of the cover 10 is that it is easilyremoved by merely bending flaps 44 outwardly so that they no longerengage the lower surface of top cleat 26. Thus, the cover is notdestroyed or disassembled by its removal, and is readily reusable.

The above description of the invention is intended to be illustrativeand not limiting. Various changes or modifications in the embodimentsdescribed may occur to those skilled in the art and these can be madewithout departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as set forthin the claims.

I claim:

1.-The combination of a wirebound box and a fiberboard cover for saidwirebound box, said wirebound box comprising a plurality of box sectionsformed of face material, said sections being foldably secured to oneanother by binding wires fastened to them and being reinforced withreinforcing cleats secured to said face material adjacent each end ofsaid box, and box ends made of face material and positioned adjacent theinner faces of said cleats at each end of said box, said wirebound boxhaving one open side with one of said cleats being positioned along theedge of said open side at each of said ends, said cover comprising afiberboard sheet having the shape of a shallow tray whose bottom has ashape conforming to the shape of said open side of said box, the sidesof said tray-shaped cover which are located at the ends of said box eachextending beyond said one cleat on said box end when said cover isplaced bottomup on said open side of'said box, each of said sides ofsaid cover having a cut-out portion adjacent its edge, said cut-outportion having a depth such that the lower surface of said one cleat isexposed when said cover is in place, and a Width approximately equal tothe span between the four longest fingers of the average adult humanhand, and a pair of flaps each of which is integral with one edge ofsaid cut-out portion, each of said flaps being bent inwardly under saidcleat along a line substantially perpendicular to said bottom of saidtray-shaped cover to hold said cover in place on said box.

2. A wirebound box comprising end walls and side walls bound togetherwith wires and forming an open top for said box, a pair of reinforcingmembers each of which is secured to and extends laterally across andoutwardly from one of said box ends, a detachable cover for coveringsaid open top of said box, and locking means for securing said coveronto said box, said locking means comprising a pair of end flaps each ofwhich is integral with one end of said covers and, when said cover is inplace on said box top, extends below one of said end members, each ofsaid end. flaps having an opening with side edges substantiallyperpendicular to the plane of said box top, and two laterally-spacedlocking flaps each of which is integral with said end flap and is foldedinwardly under one of said reinforcing members along a line defining oneof said substantially perpendicular side edges of said opening.

3. A wirebound box as in claim 2 in which the uppermost edge of saidopening in each of said end flaps extends at least substantially up tothe lower surface of one of said reinforcing members, and in which thewidth of said opening between said side-edges is approximately equal tothe span between the four longest fingers of the average adult humanhand.

References (Iited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,407,463 9/1946 Williams 22945 2,551,814 5/1951 Rushing et al 22945 2,592,8694/1952 Dedrnan 217-56 2,809,775 10/ 1957 White 22945 2,858,059 10/ 1958Kitchell 229-45 THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

1. THE COMBINATION OF A WIREBOUND BOX AND A FIBERBOARD COVER FOR SAIDWIREBOUND BOX, SAID WIREBOUND BOX COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF BOX SECTIONSFORMED OF FACE MATERIAL, SAID SECTIONS BEING FOLDABLY SECURED TO ONEANOTHER BY BINDING WIRES FASTENED TO THEM AND BEING TO ONE ANFORCED WITHREINFORCING CLEATS SECURED TO SAID FACE MATERAIL ADJACENT EACH END OFSAID BOX, AND BOX ENDS MADE OF FACE MATERIAL AND POSITIONED ADJACENT THEINNER FACES OF SAID CLEATS AT EACH END OF SAID BOX, SAID WIREBOUND BOXHAVING ONE OPEN SIDE WITH ONE OF SAID CLEATS BEING POSITIONED ALONG THEEDGE OF SAID OPEN SIDE AT EACH OF SAID ENDS, SAID COVER COMPRISING AFIBERBOARD SHEET HAVING THE SHAPE OF A SHALLOW TRAY WHOSE BOTTOM HAS ASHAPE CONFORMING TO THE SHAPE OF SAID OPEN SIDE OF SAID BOX, THE SIDESOF SAID TRAY-SHAPED COVER WHICH ARE LOCATED AT THE ENDS OF SAID BOX EACHEXTENDING BEYOND SAID ONE CLEAT ON SAID BOX END WHEN SAID COVER ISPLACED BOTTOMUP ON SAID OPEN SIDE OF SAID BOX, EACH OF SAID SIDES OFSAID COVER HAVING A CUT-OUT PORTION ADJACENT ITS EDGE, SAID CUT-OUTPORTION HAVING A DEPTH SUCH THAT THE LOWER SURFACE OF SAID ONE CLEAT ISEXPOSED WHEN SAID COVER IS IN PLACE, AND WIDTH APPROXIMATELY EQUAL TOTHE SPAN BETWEEN THE FOUR LONGEST FINGERS OF THE AVERAGE ADULT HUMANHAND, AND A PAIR OF FLAPS EACH OF WHICH IS INTEGRAL WITH ONE EDGE OFSAID CUT-OUT PORTION, EACH OF SAID FLAPS BEING BENT INWARDLY UNDER SAIDCLEAT ALONG A LINE SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO SAID BOTTOM OF SAIDTRAY-SHAPED COVER TO HOLD SAID COVER IN PLACE ON SAI BOX.